Border Wars: Inside Trump's Assault on Immigration

by Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Michael D. Shear

Two New York Times Washington correspondents provide a detailed, “ fact-based account of what precipitated some of this administration’s more brazen assaults on immigration” ( The Washington Post ) filled with never-before-told stories of this key issue of Donald Trump’s presidency.

No issue matters more to Donald Trump and his administration than restricting immigration.

Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Michael D. Shear have covered the Trump administration from its earliest days. In Border Wars , they take us inside the White House to document how Stephen Miller and other anti-immigration officials blocked asylum-seekers and refugees, separated families, threatened deportation, and sought to erode the longstanding bipartisan consensus that immigration and immigrants make positive contributions to America. Their revelation of Trump’s desire for a border moat filled with alligators made national news.

As the authors reveal, Trump has used immigration to stoke fears (“the caravan”), attack Democrats and the courts, and distract from negative news and political difficulties. As he seeks reelection in 2020, Trump has elevated immigration in the imaginations of many Americans into a national crisis.

Border Wars identifies the players behind Trump’s anti-immigration policies, showing how they planned, stumbled and fought their way toward changes that have further polarized the nation. “[Davis and Shear’s] exquisitely reported Border Wars reveals the shattering horror of the moment, [and] the mercurial unreliability and instability of the president” ( The New York Times Book Review ).

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History, Journalism, American, Presidents

480 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2019

Reviews

[Ace]

"Privately, the president had often talked about fortifying a border wall with a water-filled trench, stocked with snakes or alligators, prompting aides to seek a cost estimate. He wanted the wall electrified, with spikes on top that could pierce human flesh. After publicly suggesting that soldiers shoot migrants if they threw rocks, the president backed off when his staff told him that was illegal. But later in a meeting, aides recalled, he suggested that they shoot migrants in the legs to slow them down. That’s not allowed either, they told him."

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Maybe even 4.75.
I have largely avoided anything that is about the Trump White House from inside because they all felt too spur of the moment recently spurned/discarded/hated people that didn't feel like the best way to read quality journalism. But this one feels different, partly because of the authors--they're New York Times journalists who aren't and haven't ever been part of/respected by this administration. Partly because immigration is something I'm interested in and this specific focus felt worth reading.
It was at times, and sometimes simultaneously, fascinating, terrifying, enlightening, and maddening. It cast a great deal of light on the often muddy waters of what is policy in this administration and how much of it really comes through impulse and instinct (as well as a lack of understanding on the limits and possibilities for change within our current system).
Biggest surprise for me (and shame on me for not knowing this) was how much Lindsey Graham fought for protection of the Dreamers and to negotiate on DACA.
Biggest annoyance/fear/anger--everything about Stephen Miller. It was odd that there was a chapter about how he acts like a real person at times to those he knows well and that the public persona of his is just that--a persona. He might be a nice enough person to those he knows personally, but that doesn't excuse the xenophobic, white supremacist actions that he takes on public policy. And the authors don't try to excuse it, just round him out a little more, which does in fact prove he too is a person who is not only one sided.
All in all enlightening. Certainly not something to be taken as gospel but a great peek behind the curtain of something crucial in our time and place. Worth reading for sure.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive look at the inside of the Trump Administration’s policy and actions on immigration. That the people in this administration have no concern for anything about themselves is obvious. The environment, people’s lives, liberty and safety mean nothing but Trump who was interviewed by the authors, says he’s lived a good life. That others’ Iives may be damaged or destroyed seems beside the matter. The people who approve of Trump’s behavior and admire him are important so he can continue what he likes to do, hurt people.

[Sare Dowling · Rating 4 out of 5]

we’re fucked

[Patty Matty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive review of border policies enacted during this administration's tenure. So much has happened in such a short time. I found it useful to review the events again. Written in an inviting style with lots of anecdotes to make the book most interesting.

[Melissa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was excellent . It was very comprehensive . It talked about the immigration crisis. One bad thing I would have to say is a lot of information to take in

[Stephanie Froebel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for my AP Gov class as I am required to read a current affairs book published since 2016. I chose this one clearly.

The cover drew me in. Clearly this has a catching title on a topic that I think is often misrepresented or discussed in media or everyday conversations. Our relationship to immigrants as Americans often feels like an "oops the shoe doesn't fit" when we are asked to step into these immigrant's shoes. We look at immigration as a probability of danger, when the true danger is far from probable. Terrorism from immigrants is far less likely than from Americans (eek. That's an very unpretty statement).

Upon reading this book, I learned a lot about the intricacies of policy and government. There are a thousand plus moving gears and pieces to create one piece of legislation that can easily be overturned by just a small handful of people. The negotiation and political agendas present in our system is a little overwhelming. Afterall, we are dealing with people with their own biases, prejudices, and specific goals, giving those people power to use as they so please.

The way this book was written, it was very narrative based. I wish there was more of a bibliography in that aspect because the use of specific exchanges backed by minimal evidence does pose a gap in the argument of this book. I do appreciate though, this book not being as overwhelmingly biased as I was expecting upon looking at the book cover. Though I do say this book leans against Trump and the Trump administration, it gave a objective look inside the Big Brother like White House.

Although I do find myself in support of immigration, I do plan on reading a anti-immigration book just to hear the opposing perspective in this argument. I find getting both sides is important in getting a full on education rather than one book telling me specific facts and events to support their overarching claim (and like many involved with politics, their agenda) that would correspond with my preexisting beliefs. We can only truly grow if we listen to the opinions that are not our own, and formulate ourselves if these opinions should or should not be incorporated into our own sets of beliefs. It is a mistake to be a stagnant person with stagnant beliefs, because in that case we never grow (which is probably something more people in the White House should be following).

Overall, I give this book 4/5 stars for the thorough documentation of events and no extreme direct opinions. At some points, I did get confused with the many players in this immigration "game" but it's realistic to expect this considering how many people are involved in every decision made in our government. This book gave a good grasp of both sides and perspectives and gave each character their context to allow the reader to formulate our challenge their opinions on them. If there is anything I would change about this book, I would have more citations and a bibliography as well as maybe a timeline or more clarity in the sequence of events. Also some of the context in setting did convey a degree of intended biases for or against someone which is important to be aware of at least when reading.

[Jazmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty proud of myself for finishing this, cause it was such a slog. My main takeaway is that Trump is even more of a moron than I had imagined, and it’s never been easy for immigrants of certain origin to just stroll into America. Arguably, he hasn’t streamlined the immigration process, but in abandoning domestic and international obligations, has made it chaotic and more cruel. Anyone who supports Trump at this stage truly needs to be checked for brain damage.

There were certain inadequacies that are typical of white journalists scrutinising the racist policies of other white politicians. First off, the exit poll data demonstrated that Trump’s biggest voting base isn’t working class white people, it’s upper middle class white people. This is a way for well educated, financially privileged white people to blame working class white people for all the prejudices in the world without any self reflection or accountability. Racism as a philosophy/theory/policy was honed by white, rich intellectual men. Historically, it always been supported most ardently by financially privileged white people. Just cause you went to university, go to art galleries and can afford to hire a cleaner doesn’t mean you’re not racist.
Also, how can you be confused that someone can grow up in New York and still be racist? I’m not even American, don’t live in America, can’t vote in American elections and I still knew Trump’s father had been arrested at a Klu Klux Klan rally in Queens at a time when lynching was still legal. Just because there are POC in your area (it’s more likely than you think!) doesn’t mean you can’t be racist? Just typical middle class white journalist fallacies that were baffling to encounter. Racism isn’t exclusive to small places, the South or anywhere else white journalists imagine it festers/lives. Donald Trump is proof of that, and it was embarrassing watching these journalists scratch their heads over it.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

It could have been an important book, but instead the author is making a political statement. So the machine is okay, as long as someone else is in charge. The legislation, the authority, the institution itself are less relevant for the author.

[Martha Klems · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad to see how few of our checks and balances can really hold against an unserious lazy-minded president and his determined nasty minions like Steven Miller and handlers like Steve Bannon.

Many serious experienced civil servants tried to resist, to follow laws, established precedents, norms, decency and logic but in the end nearly all gave way to the determined anti-immigrant maniacs in the trump administration rather than lose their jobs. One high-level principled person did resign but even i couldn't remember his name by the time i finished this shameful chronicle.

[Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julie Hirschfield Davis and Michael D. Shear's Border Wars: Inside Trump's Assault on Immigration (2019) is your basic insider-view book, providing some interesting context to what we essentially already know. I like that sort of book from time to time.

The basic narrative is that Trump immigration policy is driven by the relentless and malevolent vision of Stephen Miller, who retreats into Hannah Arendt-ish arguments about just doing his job. The "just following the law" attitude flows downward, no matter how cruel the policy. Miller's view is that if even one criminal might enter the country, then you need to stop everyone, which is just a different version of Dick Cheney's disastrous one percent doctrine. Political appointees clutching at their positions scramble to make it happen.

Miller is a figure who, unlike just about everyone else in the book, is not forced out, and therefore is a permanent fixture. As such, he blows up every congressional effort to do anything. A typical scenario has congressional figures cook something up, talk to Trump about it, get Trump to agree in principle, then find Trump tweeting something incendiary that Miller told him and it all goes to hell.

Congressional leaders come off as well-meaning, which suggests the authors relied rather heavily in their interviews with them. The cabinet is characterized by infighting and desire not to look bad even while doing bad things--just resign already. Jared Kushner is an idiot who thinks lack of knowledge is a good thing for congressional negotiations. Trump himself is what you'd expect--ignorant and deeply attached to his base. Miller is an ideologue who knows how to destroy things politically but not build them.

The book tries very hard to be even-handed, but that strains credulity (poor Jared Kushner, who was so exhausted but didn't get a vacation!). For example, they commit the common error of seeing Trump as upending "many decades of bipartisan consensus in favor of immigrants and immigration" (p. 8). That makes no sense, given that congressional refusal to pass immigration laws is based on one party being increasingly and openly anti-immigrant. Guess why the DREAM Act had never passed? Trump didn't create the anti-immigrant attitude, he just tapped into it and made it worse. Immigration policy is a machine, and it will continue chewing up and spitting out people until it is radical overhauled.

From https://weeksnotice.blogspot.com/2019...

[Hasan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a thoroughly reported project that developed the characters in the Trump Administration and their ideas. The president, true to form, is a grifter. He doesn't have much core ideology and of what we know about his immigration ideology is largely superficial, self beneficial and lines that drew the loudest applause. It's the ideologies of people like Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon that are flushed out in this book. It also includes the anguish and the struggle of the bureaucracy to try to follow and implement the eccentric orders of the president.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a painful book like witnessing a slow motion disaster. The sheer recklessness and vast contempt that Davis and Shear document is overwhelming. The book all the more bolsters why Trump should be impeached given his brazen disregard for law and the Constitution. Trump assemblies an inner circle of racists who attempt to bulldoze over any sense of decency and procedure, accusing those who don't lie prostrate for their thrashing as "obstructionists." I tried to refrain from reading such books like this since I always suspected that the Trump administration is far worse than I imagined, and it is. The innumerable times that Trump blows "the art of the deal" for the spotlight of the sham is incomprehensible. This is a guy who is not really a president but would like to play one on TV. The book excels on the details. However, it is weak on broader scope such as the general context that allows someone like Trump to come to power or even how the strengthening of the executive branch by Cheney and Obama set the template for Trump's abuse of power and contempt. Trump is made to appear as an outlier-- and in many respects he is. But he is also building on a much more autocratic state that took decades in the making to build. So the book at times loses the forest for the trees-- it gets ensnared into the particularities of the Trump regime without being able to step back and see how many of his practices are an extension of earlier regimes. His Islamophobia, for example, has much deeper roots in the George Bush Jr administration that started to draft the deeply reactionary Countering Violent Extremism program that took someone like Obama, an alleged liberal, to implement that would dragnet "suspect" Muslim communities in Minneapolis, Boston, and Los Angeles. Trump, in other words, is the symptom, not the cause of our problems. And although he manifests some of the very worst tendencies, they run much deeper than Davis and Shear at times indicate. With that said, the book is a riveting account of an administration that has built its existence upon xenophobic and racist policies.

[c · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sounds like some people were enthusiastically cooperative. Desperate to rehabilitate their image…

[jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have extremely mixed feelings about this book. It covers crucial information, including evident acts of illegal conduct by exective branch officials, and it observes the general lawlessness, white supremacy, and arrogance that characterizes current American immigration policy. This is really important, and we all need to know what our nation is doing.

That said, it's clear a number of sources - Nielsen in particular, but many others - are attempting to do some reputation repair and the authors enable this more than I think is necessary. Nielsen seems to believe she had no choice but to cage children and lie about it.

She did, though: it's called quitting.

Kelly gets a pass on most of the shit he said/did, as does Sessions. In particular, they note Sessions was accused of racism during his judge nomination hearing because he called an African American lawyer "boy". THAT IS NOT ALL HE DID THAT CAME UP IN THOSE HEARINGS.

And critically, the authors were definitely on Stephen Miller's email list of hate and rage, and appear to know he was essentially directing Breitbart coverage. Yet we all are just finding out about this now, in 2019, because Katie McHugh gave her emails to Hatewatch.

I can't say what exactly the reporters should've done, but they gave cover to someone who reads American Renaissance and pals around with Jared Taylor to ensure access. That is a choice. They should explain it.

[UChicagoLaw]

"This book was written by the New York Times reporters covering the Trump administration’s immigration policies. It provides a behind the scenes account of a large number of major policy changes, like the travel ban, the drastic cut in refugee quotas, and the family separation policy. What sets Border Wars apart from many other Trump era books is that the focus is on the policy instead of on anecdotes about Trump behaving badly (although there are some of those too). The book provides a detailed account of the radical changes to immigration policy that a small group of administration insiders were able to push through without any changes to existing legislation."

—Adam Chilton, Professor of Law, Walter Mander Research Scholar

[Rebel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The authors have a liberal bias and they clearly don't like Trump. If you can overlook that, this is a decent summary of political events regarding US immigration policy in the Trump administration.

The authors provide stories of poor illegal immigrants, but no stories of the US citizens harmed by illegal immigration. The authors don't seem to realize that President Trump is struggling, against many factions, to prevent the US from becoming a third world nation. The reason third world people pay thousands of dollars to cartels to smuggle them into this country is because they can't stand being around other third world people. You can spin it by saying they are escaping high rates of crime, poverty, unemployment, gangs, pollution and inflation, but ultimately, it is other people like themselves who created those conditions. To explain feelings of people who support Trump, Arlie Hochschild wrote, "(Imagine) you are patiently standing in the middle of a long line stretching toward the horizon, where the American Dream awaits. But as you wait, you see people cutting in line ahead of you... many are beneficiaries of affirmative action... Then you see immigrants, Mexicans, Somalis, the Syrian refugees yet to come. As you wait in this unmoving line, you're being asked to feel sorry for them all. You have a good heart. but who is deciding who you should feel compassion for? Then you see President Barack Hussein Obama waving the line-cutters forward. He's on their side. In fact, isn't he a line-cutter too? How did this fatherless black guy pay for Harvard? As you wait Obama is using hte money in your pocket to help the line cutters. He and his liberal backers have removed the shame from taking. the government has become an instrument for redistributing your money to the undeserving. It's not you government anymore; it's theirs."

[Devan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trump organization's way to deal with movement, which was portrayed by severe implementation and an emphasis on getting the U.S.- Mexico line. It digs into the turn of events and execution of key strategies, for example, the movement boycott, and the questionable division of families at the boundary. The creators draw on broad meetings with central participants and authorities inside the organization, as well as on-the-ground answering to give a thorough perspective on the independent direction and unseen struggles inside the public authority.

both inside the US and in nations impacted by U.S. migration choices. It examines the legitimate difficulties and court fights that a significant number of these strategies confronted and how general assessment and fights assumed a part in forming the story.

"In the battle between security and compassion, the heart of America's immigration debate is often torn." because the statement proposes that the migration banter in the US is definitely not a basic or uneven issue; it's an intricate battle between the craving to keep up with security and request, and the acknowledgment of the human and empathetic parts of movement strategy.

"Line Wars" gives an extensive perspective on the Trump organization's migration strategies, their inspirations, the unseen fits of turmoil, and the human results. It reveals insight into the intricacies and debates encompassing migration in the US during that time.

[C K · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book bills itself as a comprehensive look at the Trump administration’s chaotic, lawless, and morally heinous immigration policy, a recounting of the behind-the-scenes drama animating a singular fixation with the border wall. However, not only is it not comprehensive - failing to document the catastrophic consequences of a litany of border externalization policies put in place (mostly successfully) starting in 2019 - it also fails to fully reckon with the nativism and white supremacy motivating Trump’s fixation with the border and with stemming migration. It repeatedly parrots false, right-wing tropes (like asylum being a “loophole” rather than a binding obligation and families and children constituting a faceless, scary “surge”) and treats the subject of protecting asylum-seekers as a both-sides-style debate devoid of real human consequences. It’s a case study in how “who’s up, who’s down” journalism can obscure the moral truth of an issue.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely an interesting read. The authors were very critical of Trump, however I think they were fair and relatively unbiased in their criticism and retelling of his and his administration’s decisions, based on the research I’ve done. I would definitely recommend it as a great book to get a closer look into how Trump has handled immigration throughout his time as president. I also found it particularly enthralling to get a detailed picture of the thoughts and backgrounds of many people associated with the Trump administration, such as Stephen Miller and John Kelly.

[Tifnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

UGH! Nothing about this lunatic makes me happy or proud. I read this book as research for my literature class and for references since both the authors wrote for a reputable newspaper. I dog eared quite a few pages of contradictions, lies, deceptions, and just poor presidential management.

I remember talking about this book and I said, “Trump...” and the person corrected me with, “President Trump. It bugs me when people do not use the proper title.” To which I replied, “When he has earned that title, I will call him President.”

[Kenneth Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book details trump’s campaign against immigration and the people who helped him. We see how Trump fixated on the issue and the influence of Steve Bannon and Steve Miller. We learn how Jeff Sessions came on board to help formulate policy.
We read about the racism and fear mongering Trump used for his political benefit. The fact that these tactics and the issue win him the presidency paints a sad image of the country.
This book should be read by anyone concerned about the direction of our country.

[Michael Romero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wondered about the skewed ratings when I downloaded the book-the truth is ugly

A very well-reported look at the dysfunction that is the White House. Someone leaked a lot of details but they should not be allowed to whitewash this history. The tales of poor, tortured souls scrambling to keep their tyrannical boss pacified begs the question, did they covet their status so much they sold their souls to keep it?

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need not have kept a journal for the last few years; these journalists have done a stellar job recreating the pernicious, continuous assault on immigration by Trump and his crew of nativist bigots. As someone who works with refugees under the DHS umbrella, the substance of the book is basically my lived reality. The account is comprehensive, full of (careful and correct!) details, and of course devastating.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping tale of the anger of Trump and his mean-spirited assistant Stephen Miller whose anti-immigrant attitude has brought disgrace to he and his boss! The confusion and half thought out responses to issues facing a mercurial President who operates only on gut feelings has given the reader a picture of disorder in the highest office of our Country!

[Gokulakrishnan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was from start-to-end revolved entirely around immigration. It was my shortest non fiction read in recent times.
This book can also be titled as Stephen Miller and Donald Trump Vs rest of the 45th US administration.
Overall a pretty informative read. Obviously there are lots of things discussed in this book which we would have heard about. But still, an engaging read.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

An in depth look at the first two years of the Trump administration's attempts to reshape the immigration system in the US -- everything from the travel ban, to the wall, to family separation at the border. A task made even more difficult by the fractious factions in the Trump administration that make finding workable solutions even more difficult.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clean and comprehensive, but will make your blood boil. "Assault" is exactly the right word to describe what that administration has done and is doing. I hope Stephen Miller gets to experience the same anguish his policies have caused. Heartless piece of human garbage. Literal definition of a trash human.

[Loretta Altman-Pollack · Rating 5 out of 5]

That was a very well researched, detailed book. Another educational book that should be read, especially to truly understand this current POTUS and it’s administration’s complete disregard and brutality on humanity. The true narcissist that defines this president, and how deep the destruction of his actions go, is laid out well in this book.

[Nico Tavella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides a thorough overview of the Trump Administration's negotiations, discourse, and policy regarding immigration. Davis and Shear are skillful writers who continuously tie bureaucratic immigration dealings back to key themes of Trumpism and the racism that underlies the American understanding of immigration.